FORMER England rugby captain Matt Dawson explains why it's never too soon to teach children the value of healthy eating

Retired rugby player Matt Dawson would be proud to say his sons have never eaten junk food [BBC]

Matt Dawson has ticked off an extraordinary list of achievements: winning the Rugby World Cup, captaining his country, touring with the British Lions and becoming England’s most capped scrum-half.

Since retiring from competitive rugby he has been a regular panellist and is now a captain on A Question Of Sport, was a finalist in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 and won Celebrity Masterchef that same year.

But there is one achievement Matt is yet to nail and it will be more than a decade before he will know if he has succeeded because his ambition is to raise teenagers who don’t have a fondness for mass-produced fast food.

“That’s one of my goals,” he says. “I would love to be able to say my boys have never eaten a processed burger.”

As Alex is only 20 months old and baby Sam was born just last week, there is still plenty of time but Matt, 41, believes it’s never too soon to start teaching children the value of a healthy diet. “Nothing is more important than what you are putting in your body and your child’s body,” he says.

“I am no scientist but from what I have read the body becomes accustomed to having more salt, sugar and fat but that works the other way too. The less salt, sugar and fat you have, the less your body craves it.”

The more salt and additives the body consumes the more it craves, and vice versa [GETTY]

I would love to be able to say my boys have never eaten a processed burger

Matt Dawson

It’s a view that many health specialists share. Campaigns to cut salt have seen average daily intake fall from 9.5g, almost two teaspoons, to 8.6g, just over 1.5 teaspoons, and experts and academics recently launchedAction On Sugar to cut the amount of sugar in everyday products.

They calculate that a 30 per cent reduction would reverse the obesity epidemic in five years and Professor Simon Capewell, an epidemiologist at the University of Liverpool, argues: “Sugar is the new tobacco.”

Matt doesn’t go that far and he is not convinced a sugar tax is the solution. However he does hope the peer-pressure which has transformed attitudes to smoking will have the same impact on the nation’s eating habits.

He says: “I would like to think that one day it will be turned on its head and people who eat unhealthy food will be frowned upon and have people asking, ‘Why on earth would you put that in your body?’

“It’s all about balance, enjoying your diet and understanding the positives as well as the negatives.”

Matt enjoys the odd indulgence and eating out with his wife, former model Carolin Hauskeller, but he is also a fan of fruit-based smoothies and nutritional supplements.

“My wife got me into supplements and antioxidants. I make smoothies with wheat grass, spirulina and other superfoods. I do make a conscious effort to eat healthily but it’s now become a habit. I know it takes time management but what’s more important than your health?”

Matt has just launched his own range of superfoods, a selection of health-boosting seeds and powdered nutrients which can be used for cooking or added to salads, smoothies, yogurts or cereals.He hopes the range, produced by Bioglan, will encourage more people to try some of his favourite superfoods and ensure they hit their five-a-day target of fruit and vegetables.

“Ingredients such as chia, flaxseed and acai berries are a great way to ensure you are getting the right nutrition into your body, plus they taste great.”

Matt has good reason to take his diet seriously. His grandfather died of bowel cancer and his mother Lois was diagnosed with the disease in 2007. “Fortunately she came through it but my family history means I’m at risk,” he adds.

Every year 40,700 people in the UK are diagnosed with colorectal cancer but screening and improved treatments mean half will still be alive 10 years later.

Early diagnosis is key to beating the disease, although Matt knows this is not always easy. “My mum had gone to the doctor because she had symptoms but still had to push for a diagnosis.”

Anyone aged 60 to 69 who is registered with a GP should be offered screening via a home testing kit which detects traces of blood in stools. From 2016 all 55-year-olds will be offered a one-off test which uses a camera to check the lower bowel for signs of the disease.

Warning signs include bleeding from the back passage or blood when you go to the loo, a change in normal bowel habits (such as diarrhoea or looser stools) lasting longer than four to six weeks, weight loss and tiredness as a result of anaemia.

Obesity, alcohol and a high-fat diet laden with processed meat all add to the risk of developing bowel cancer while eating fruit and vegetables appear to lower the risk.

Experts at Cancer Research UK say: “No single diet can guarantee you won’t get bowel cancer but changing your diet could help to reduce your risk in general, as well as improving your health.”

Matt says: “I would be very disappointed if I didn’t eat my five a day and I think it’s getting so much easier if you look at the guideline daily amounts.” GDAs appear on many food labels and give a guide to the recommended targets for different nutrients.

Matt admits he doesn’t always find time to work out. “People always assume I am at the gym every day. I work and do a lot of travelling and I get to the gym twice a week if I am lucky. I walk a lot. I often get off a stop early and walk and I always take the stairs rather than the lift or get on a bike rather than drive.

“I keep myself active to keep my metabolism active but I love being at home. I would rather spend that extra hour and a half at home with my family and cooking.”